Tom Holland is enjoying his latest round of movie promotion, but he admits that speaking enthusiastically about every project has not always come naturally.
During the July 22 episode of the Dish podcast, the actor told hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett that promoting a movie is easy when he genuinely believes audiences should see it. Other press tours have required him to recommend films he privately considered unsuccessful.
Holland bluntly recalled thinking that viewers “shouldn’t” see certain projects “because it’s sh-t.” He laughed while making the admission and did not identify a movie, filmmaker, studio or costar connected to the experiences he described.
His enthusiasm is considerably stronger for his current releases. Holland described promoting Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day as a “victory lap.”
Holland Admitted Some Movies Were Difficult to Promote
Grimshaw and Hartnett asked Holland how he was handling the demanding publicity schedules surrounding two major summer releases.
Holland said interviews become easier when he is proud of the finished work because he can answer questions about why people should buy a ticket without feeling dishonest.
He then contrasted that experience with previous press tours. When reporters asked why audiences should watch those movies, Holland said he sometimes privately thought, “You shouldn’t. Because it’s sh-t.”
His Current Press Tours Feel Like a ‘Victory Lap’
Holland had no similar difficulty recommending The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. “It’s felt really like a bit of a victory lap, to be honest,” he said, according to Tempus Magazine. “I’ve really enjoyed it. You know, I’m super proud of both of the films.”
Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Matt Damon’s Odysseus and Anne Hathaway’s Penelope, in Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic. The Odyssey opened in U.S. theaters on July 17.
He told the podcast hosts that he had recently completed three consecutive days of interviews with Hathaway and had learned from watching how she approached the promotional process.
Holland Is Returning for His Fourth Solo Spider-Man Movie
Spider-Man: Brand New Day brings Holland back as Peter Parker following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is his fourth solo Spider-Man movie and his latest appearance as the character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film follows Peter as he fights crime in a New York City whose residents no longer remember his identity. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon return, with Jon Bernthal, Sadie Sink and Mark Ruffalo among the cast.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in U.S. theaters on July 31.